Spring-ring.



E. W. MOREHOUSEY.

SPRING RING. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1, 1900.

THE NORRIS Psrzns cm, wasnmnmu, o. c,

PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE W. MOREHOUSE, OF PROVIDENCE, RI-IODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO B. A. BALLOU AND COMPANY, IN 0., OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND,A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

SPRING-RING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 12, 1907.

Application filed $eptember 1, 1906. Serial No. 332,900.

certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Rings; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact de- I scription thereof.

My invention relates to what are commonly known in the jewelers art as springrings, which consist of an open circular ring portion provided with a spring-actuated sliding bar adapted to be operated to open or close said ring. In rings of this character it is necessary to provide the sliding-bar portion with a finger-piece for operating the same. I-Ieretofore this finger-piece has been formed of a separate piece of wire forced or screwed into a hole in the sliding bar and projecting through a slot in the tubular ring portion. With this construction the finger-piece was liable to become loosened and drop out, and thereby render the ring useless. Furthermore, the cutting off of the wire left the end of the finger-piece ragged, so that it would catch, and being usually made of brass or plated wire would tarnish, or the plate would be exposed at the free end of said fingerpiece. v

The object of my invention is to overcome these objections; and to these ends said invention consists in forming the finger-piece integral with the sliding-bar.

Another feature of my invention consists in a novel method of assembling the sliding bar and ring portion.

In describing my invention in detail refer ence will be made to the accompanying drawings, in Wl'IiCl1-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved sliding bar. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tubular ring portion formed to receive the sliding bar. Fig. 4 is a front or edge elevation of .the same. Fig. 5 is a front or edge elevation of the same with the sliding bar in place, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the completed ring in closed position.

Referring to the drawings, A is the tubular ring or body portion, and B is the curved sliding bar, which is constructed to slide Within the tubular body portion A.

The sliding bar B is provided with an operating member or finger-piece b, which is made integral with said bar B and is preferably struck up in dies from said bar, which dies are so shaped that the finger-piece will be formed with an undercut b, which facilitates the engagement of said finger-piece by the finger in operating the same. With the finger-piece b so formed and the sliding bar made from fairly heavy plated wire the finger-piece, being formed from the exterior surface of the wire, will be practically formed of gold.

The body portion A is constructed with an open space A between its ends and is provided with a circumferential slot or, adjacent one end thereof and a suitable attachingring a.

To assemble the parts, the end of the body portion A having the slot at is bent out of alinement with the other end and asuitable spring 0 and plug (1 inserted, as shown in Fig. 6. The under side of said end portion is then opened up, as shown at e, Figs. 3 and 4. The bar B can then be inserted, and by depressing it into the opening e the fingerpiece I) will pass by the bridge-piece at the outer end of slot at, and by then raising the bar B the finger-piece b will project through the slot a, in which position it will be held when the opening 6 in the end of the body portion is closed together, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. By simply bending the end of the body portion back into alinement with the other end a completed spring-ring is formed, as shown in Fig. 6.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An article of the class described, consisting of an open seamless tubular ring provided with a split end portion and a circumferential slot, and a sliding bar mounted insaid tubular ring and provided with an operating member made integral with said sliding bar and projecting through said oircum ferential slot, substantially as described.

' 2. An article of the class described, consisting of an open seamless tubular ring provided with a split end portion and a circumferential slot, and a spring-actuated sliding bar mounted in said tubular ring and provided with an operating member struck up therefrom and projecting through said circumferential slot, substantially as described.

3. An article of the class described; con- 1 said circumferential slot, substantially as desisting of an open seamless tubular ring pro- 5 scribed.

vided With a split end portion and a circum- EUGENE W MOREHOUSE ferential slot and a spring-actuated sliding f 5 bar mounted in said tubular ring and pro- Witnesses: vided With an undercut operating member E W. H. THURsTON,

struck up therefrom and extending through i J. H. THURSTON 

